There definitely has been past occurrences of black-korean conflict. Before the LA riots there was a boycott of korean groceries in NY by black americans who felt as though the koreans were being discriminating. people from both sides were shot, which led community leaders to come up with a peaceful reconciliation.

A boycott is a rational and reasonable way to protest any perceived poor treatment. As for people being shot, I suspect the koreans were generally being shot in armed robberies, and cusomters were generally being shot in self-defense, or while committing crimes.

Many koreans in america racially discriminate against blacks for several reasons. i am in no way justifying it, but just listing some causes as to why this phenomenon is happening. For one, many korean americans have experienced crime first-hand from black americans. i have personally experienced this both in ny and california as i have watched my parents hand over their money in hold ups at gun point.

secondly though, it is because koreans they have adopted the "white" view of african americans, and all the negative stereotypes that go along with it. where else would they have this preconception that blacks are violent, lazy, and dangerous? there is no significant black population in korea. blacks do not understand why koreans would so easily adopt this view, as the history of the korean people is one of oppression. black leaders expect koreans to understand their situation because koreans have gone through a form of slavery during the japanese occupation.

Koreans have not "adopted" any view of any group. Rather, they have simply formed views that are the product of their own experiences. If they feel that many of their customers are violent, lazy, and dangerous, it is probably because a disproportionate number of them are. And while other residents may end up unfairly being painted with the same brush, they again don't have to frequent any given store if they don't like the way they're being treated.

The reason that Koreans DON'T understand certain minorities who have these negative characteristics is precisely BECAUSE they have also experienced (true and recent) oppression, and are still willing and able to thrive economically despite it (like many/most african-americans). As a result, it is understandable that they would have less sympathy for those who don't take responsibility for their lives, despite having far more opportunity than most people in other countries.

what is IMPORTANT though is how the conflict was framed while it was happening. caucasians (mainstream society) believe that it is a conflict between two stupid minorities going at it with each other because of jealousy.

Not at all. (Though clearly envy on the part of some customers was a primary problem.)

Rather, most caucasians I know recognize that Koreans, if anything, tend to be less stupid than the average person, and admire their work-ethic and courage in opening up such stores.

what the white news reporters do not explain is that the reason why blacks are in poverty and are forced into situations where they have to steal is because white society discriminates against them.

Except, of course, that most blacks are not in poverty, and even most poor blacks don't make the choice to steal things. (No one in this country is ever "forced" into a situation where they have to steal.)

Also, the idea that "white society" today discriminates against blacks in any meaningful way is highly questionable. If you look at any job or promotion that involves objective exams or criteria, you'll find that blacks, on average, are always hired and promoted with lower scores and other objective criteria. (Studies have been done on this.) Preferential treatment for urm's goes far beyond college and law school admission in today's society.

Ultimately, the minority of african-americans who live in poverty (and the ghetto) today are largely there because of their own choices -- choices to drink, to abuse drugs, to reproduce irresponsibly, and to avoid work, education, and sacrifice. (This is also true, of course, of most whites and hispanics that live in poverty.) This, again, is the real root of resentment against Asian shopowners, along with simple racist feeling against people who look different.

they also do not explain the fact that koreans have adopted this "white" mentality towards blacks and therefore sometimes discriminate them. and who are the blacks going to retaliate against? sure aint the white people, because blacks cant touch them, it'll cause too much of a stir. so they'll go after the easy target. the korean americans who can't speak english.

Again, the behavior and attitudes of Korean shopkeepers are not adopted, but simply a reaction to their personal experience. Those blacks that have a problem with such attitudes can solve the problem quite easily by boycotting the store. No "retaliation" is required or justified.

don't you think that its strange that WHITE cops beat up a BLACK man, and the KOREANS end up taking the loss?

What I think is strange is that any community would be stupid enough to burn down their own neighborhood as a form of protest. If this doesn't tell you there's inherent problems within that community keeping it down, nothing will. (The loss that Koreans took is far less than the loss experienced by the communities in question.)

However, for what it's worth, it's highly likely that the customers of the destroyed Korean shops experienced some significant deprivation once they realized they no longer had the use and convenience of those stores. Hopefully, if nothing else, this helped remind such residents that the Koreans in question were performing a valuable service, and deserved to be respected for that.

What I think is strange is that any community would be stupid enough to burn down their own neighborhood as a form of protest. If this doesn't tell you there's inherent problems within that community keeping it down, nothing will.

In my experience, a lot of people in the ghetto have conflicted feelings "their own neighborhood". In my city, and I understand this is normal, the black neighborhood is just the area whites relegated blacks to in the 1930s. Since then, parts of the "black" neighborhood become more white whenever they become desirable, so the areas that are almost all black are the neighborhoods that are least desirable. With the improvement of any neighborhood comes the knowledge that as wealthier (always whiter, in my experience) people move in, property taxes, rents and condemnations increase, and the older residents often have to move out. So there is a lot of frustration, coupled with a feeling of lack of control, which explains some of the riot psychology. It would be stupid to destroy a place you love and feel ownership of. But I doubt most rioters felt this way about their neighborhoods.

What I think is strange is that any community would be stupid enough to burn down their own neighborhood as a form of protest. If this doesn't tell you there's inherent problems within that community keeping it down, nothing will.

In my experience, a lot of people in the ghetto have conflicted feelings "their own neighborhood". In my city, and I understand this is normal, the black neighborhood is just the area whites relegated blacks to in the 1930s. Since then, parts of the "black" neighborhood become more white whenever they become desirable, so the areas that are almost all black are the neighborhoods that are least desirable. With the improvement of any neighborhood comes the knowledge that as wealthier (always whiter, in my experience) people move in, property taxes, rents and condemnations increase, and the older residents often have to move out. So there is a lot of frustration, coupled with a feeling of lack of control, which explains some of the riot psychology. It would be stupid to destroy a place you love and feel ownership of. But I doubt most rioters felt this way about their neighborhoods.

I remember watching a news piece on gentrification in D.C. awhile back. Some white people, maybe college students, were protesting the fact that yuppies were buying up formerly minority-owned homes in an african-american neighborhood. The newsperson began interviewing a local resident to get his opinion. He smiled, and said "hey, you don't see anyone from this neighborhood protesting!" The point, of course, is that local residents were seeing increases in property values, and often experiencing significant financial windfalls as a result of the trend. Given that many homes in such neighborhoods are fairly cheap to purchase, it shouldn't be surprising that many, if not most residents in such communities are in fact homeowners, and do in fact benefit from improving neighborhoods.

(However, it should also be noted that most minorities no longer live in inner-city ghettos.)

And, of course, South Central was hardly a prime spot for gentrification, from what I could see.

(If people don't like their neighborhoods, why would they even care about gentrification?)

Finally, while it would clearly be dumb to destroy a place you love, it's also dumb to destroy any place you live, regardless of how you feel about it.

Let me just emphasize: this isn't really about ethnicty -- it's about cultural pathology. Most minorities, black or otherwise, don't live in ghettos, and they aren't poor. Most work hard, save, sacrifice, etc. Those people who don't, whatever their ethnicity, tend to share certain problem, primarly poor decision-making. The riots were just one example of that.

et me just emphasize: this isn't really about ethnicty -- it's about cultural pathology. Most minorities, black or otherwise, don't live in ghettos, and they aren't poor. Most work hard, save, sacrifice, etc. Those people who don't, whatever their ethnicity, tend to share certain problem, primarly poor decision-making. The riots were just one example of that.

I don't think it's just poor decision making that lands people in inner city ghettoes. If so, why would the population there be so heavily minority? There are historical factors that gave rise to the ghetto, and can shed light on some of the "cultural pathologies" or patterns of behavior you see there. (Like the lack of ownership people feel in the ghetto being related to economic & historical situations that create a of lack of control of one's place of residence.)

As we better understand what causes these negative behavior patterns, we can better understand how to foster positive behavior, development and growth in our cities.

There are some black people who hate Koreans and there are Koreans who hate black people. There are many black people who do not hate Koreans and there are many Koreans who do not hate black people. Hard to generalize. I would refrain from doing this if I were you and take each person on an individual basis. I have met some Koreans who were very ignorant, yet I don't extrapolate their behavior to that of the entire Korean race. You should do the same.

The Rodney King situation is unique, a predictable response by angry black people. Black people are a proud, versatile people who are routinely treated as second class citizens in this country. The antagonism that one feels on a daily basis can intensify in instances where yet more ignorant, racist, redneck white cops get set free for beating the hell out of a defenseless black man. It could also be that these blacks in LA who decimated the Korean stores did so as a result of repeated and sustained lack of respect shown by the Korean grocers over months or years in addition to the anger over the King injustice. It could also be resentment at the perception that Koreans (or any other race) seem to be able to get loans and financing for such stores in the black neighborhoods when blacks have been unable to do so because of lender bias against them. There are many reasons but I wouldn't conclude that blacks hate Koreans. This is ridiculous.

Get out and meet more black people without making assumptions about how blacks are. They're just people like anyone else.

Is it just an assumption or do black people IN GENERAL hate koreans?? I ask this because I remember that there was a LA riot when Rodney King was beaten by the White police, and the Black people attacked all the korean grocery markets and destroyed everything. My parents always told me that it was indeed initiated by Koreans since Koreans made majority of their money off of African-Americans, yet still showed no respect and acted as if they were the upper class compared to the Blacks.

I also remember when Ice Cube made a rap song dissing Koreans, and some other notable hating words by others about Koreans. Is this true??

I'm not trying to start s**t, I'm just really really curious since this doesn't seem to be the case in Canada.(I'm korean btw)

With all due respect, your parents are morons.

I love when people somehow try to excuse mindless violence by blaming the victims. Koreans are also a minority, and they also experience discrimination. They are often the only people with the balls and work ethic to start up businesses in ghetto neighborhoods. In the process, they perform a valuable service for the community - selling not just liquor, but food, otc medications and other groceries.

Given that Koreans did not grow up here, one must presume that any lack of respect was generally earned by the surrounding community, in the way they acted towards the people who were simply there to perform a needed service.

With all due respect, you're mom is a female dog and she's pretty damn loose. Now, does me stating "with all due respect" make this statement less offensive? Think before you talk idiot.I would've respected your post a lot more without the idiotic sentence.

here is an IM conversation with a korean diplomat that should clear up any confusion regarding the issue ...

jom faded4: basically, there are cultural diffferences right....?jom faded4: andjom faded4: ikoreans who come to america dont speak english well,...they work, all day to support their familiesjom faded4: so, when they set up shop in s.central lajom faded4: the impression that blacks got from us was that we are stuck upjom faded4: and the personal interactions were awkward and unfriendlyjom faded4: NOT because koreans dont like blacks,jom faded4: but because of the language and cultural mannerisms and barriersjom faded4: get what im saying?DJMusik: so blacks hate koreans but koreans don't hate blacks right?jom faded4: right

Does anybody know how the anger of black people from Rodney King's incident was actually geared towards Koreans? Obviously, blacks at the time should be angry to the majority Americans (whites), not Koreans when Rodney King beat the sh*t out of blacks on the street. At the same time when this was happening, a teenage black girl was shot by a Korean grocery owner because he thought she was robbing or something at the store. This covered the front page and this media coverage worked as popping the lid off a shaken can of coke. When blacks were already thinking that they were being mistreated and oppressed in this society from Rodney King's incident by whites, now this killing incident brought another level of discrimination, but this time by Koreans, also a racial minority. Koreans already being notorious in most black's mind for exploiting the capital out of the ghetto to send their kids to college, became victimized by the media coverage, burdening the anger of blacks by the killing incident and plus the initial anger by Rodney King's incident. If Rodney King's incident did not happen in the beginning, the killing incident that happened as an accident or misunderstanding might not have brought the whole riot. Very smartly controlled media coverage shifted the defendents of social injustice to Koreans instead of whites. Who really controls the media? Are we safe to say that media is never affected by politicians? I think not.